Catalonian vote could see split from Spain

Updated
November 26, 2012 13:31:00

Voters in Catalonia have gone to the polls in an election that could set the region on the path to divorce with Spain. If the nationalist coalition wins a mandate its president Artur Mas says he'll hold a referendum on independence from Spain. It'll be a bumpy road though - a referendum is illegal under the current Spanish constitution.

ELEANOR HALL: Separatists in Spain's Catalonia region have won the elections, but failed to get the resounding mandate they need to push for a referendum on independence.

Voters handed almost two thirds of the 135-seat local parliament to four different Catalan separatist parties. But they also punished the main separatist group.

That will make it difficult for its leader, Artur Mas, to lead a united drive to hold a referendum in defiance of the constitution and the central government in Madrid.

Europe correspondent, Rachael Brown, reports.

(Music)

RACHAEL BROWN: The land of surrealist painter Salvador Dali, and architect Antoni Gaudi, prides itself on being distinct from the rest of Spain.

In the north-east region, Catalans speak their own language, and FC Barcelona fans have taken to chanting "independence" when the clock hits 17 minutes and 14 seconds...

(Crowd chants)

...1714 being the last year before Catalonia and other regions were united into one kingdom.

Overnight, Catalans went to the polls.

(Catalan resident speaks)

This resident says, "We have many hopes for this process, moving on and having a country of our own. We want to manage our own goods and get out of the well we are in now."

Catalans are fed up with soaring unemployment and persistent recession and feel they've been getting a raw funding deal from the central government in Madrid.

An estimated $20 billion worth of taxes paid in Catalonia is not returned to the region.

The Catalan president, Artur Mas...

(Artur Mas speaking)

Lodging his vote, Mr Mas said "what's at stake today is the fact that Catalonia can decide about its future in the next four years or not."

But prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, says a referendum is illegal under the constitution and many Spaniards warn now is not the time for division.

(Mariano Rajoy speaking)

This supporter of Spain's former dictator Francisco Franco says, "It cost so much to get that unity, years to win it back, which cost Spain a lot of blood and pain."

Dr Jonathan Hopkin is a reader in comparative politics at the London School of Economics. He says any test of unity could further strain Spain's already precarious position in the eurozone.

JONATHAN HOPKIN: If the central government of Spain is negotiating with the European Union leadership and bilaterally with the German government to get help and to face its debt problems, then if you have part of the country refusing to recognise the legitimacy of that government, then clearly that weakens the government's position.

It's also a huge distraction for Rajoy's government.

RACHAEL BROWN: And would it un-nerve investors, or what little investors there are left in Spain, especially considering the big automotive industries in Catalonia?

JONATHAN HOPKIN: There are a group of prominent Catalan economists who actually mostly work in the United States or here in the UK who have been trying to make the argument that Catalonia would not be penalised, would not basically inherit Spain's poor credit risk.

And really the jury is out, it's hard to - I mean it would depend a lot on hose the succession was negotiated, how much of the share of total Spanish debt the new Catalan state would have to take on. But all else equal, I wouldn't expect Catalonia to be in any better position than countries like Ireland or Portugal, other small countries in the euro periphery with very high levels of debt.

RACHAEL BROWN: Many Spaniards fear if Catalonia moves to break away, the Basques could soon follow.

The Catalan vote comes as the Basque separatist group ETA prepares to disarm, and enter talks with the French and Spanish governments.

ETA is believed to be responsible for more than 800 deaths and is considered a terrorist organization by the EU and US.